The Walking Dead: Convoy
by Thundarr The Barbarian
Summary: What would happen if The A-Team, The Master, The Dukes Of Hazzard, The Fall Guy, and Charlie's Angels were to team up during a Zombie Apocalypse (set during the 1980's)? You're gonna have to read it to find out. Currently rated T for violence. May upgrade to M at a later date (we'll see how things go).
1. Chapter 1

**Convoy**

**Starring**

**(From The A-Team)**

George Peppard as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith

Dirk Benedict as Lt. Templeton "Face Man" Peck

Dwight Schultz as Cpt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock

Mr. T as Sgt. B.A. Barracus

Melinda Culea as Amy Allen

**(From The Fall Guy)**

Lee Majors as Colt Seavers

Heather Thomas as Jody Banks

**(From The Master)**

Lee Van Cleef as "The Master" John Peter McAllister

Tim Van Patten as Max Keller

**(From The Dukes Of Hazzard)**

John Schneider as Bo Duke

Tom Wopat as Luke Duke

Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke

Sonny Shroyer as Deputy Enos Strate

**(From Charlie's Angels)**

Kate Jackson as Sabrina Duncan

Farrah Fawcett as Jill Munroe

Jacklyn Smith as Kelly Garrett

**Chapter One**

It's late at night. The country sky is clear, revealing thousands of twinkling stars up above. The moon is full and shining down like a ball of silver. Barreling down the unpaved country road is a dark gray and black GMC van, with a red stripe down the sides separating the two colours. The rims of the wheels are coloured red to match. Sitting in the driver's seat of this van is a large, muscular black man with a full beard and mustache. His head has been shaved into a Mohawk, and he's dressed in camouflage pants and matching vest, with a weight belt around his waist. His wrists and fingers are heavily adorned with gold rings and bracelets, and he's wearing many gold chains around his neck. His name is Bosco Allen Barracus, or B.A. for short. B.A. scowls as he looks out at the dirt road which stretches out ahead of him.

Sitting next to B.A. In the passenger seat, wearing a dress shirt with the collar casually unbuttoned, jeans, stingray skin boots, and a black leather jacket, is Templeton Peck. Known as _Face Man _to his friends, he's a very handsome dark haired Caucasian with a gleaming smile and a gift for talking just about anyone into doing almost anything. Right behind Face is an older man with silver hair, wearing a light blue dress shirt, boots, jeans, and a tan coloured jacket. He clutches an unlit cigar between his teeth as he sits in the back of the van. His name is Colonel John Smith, though he's known better by his nickname, _Hannibal. _Sitting next to Hannibal, wearing jeans, runners, a Batman t-shirt, a brown leather flight jacket with a tiger printed on the back, and a blue baseball cap is the group's pilot, Captain "Howling Mad" H.M. Murdock. Collectively, these four men are known as The A-Team.

Once a crack commando unit in Vietnam, their last mission before the U.S. officially pulled out of that conflict was to rob the Bank of Hanoi. Unfortunately, when they returned to base, they found that it had been hit by a mortar attack. Their commanding officer was killed, and all of his files containing details of various covert operations were destroyed. With no proof that their heist was sanctioned by the military, they were immediately arrested and sent to a maximum security stockade. They promptly escaped from under the watchful eyes of Colonel Lynch, and disappeared into the Los Angeles underground where they survived as soldiers of fortune.

Sometime later they were joined by the fifth occupant of the van, an attractive dark haired young woman named Amy Allen, a newspaper reporter. She started out hiring them to rescue a friend of hers from Mexican guerrillas. Afterwards she began helping them out on their cases, using her contacts at the newspaper to gain information, as well as writing her own article on the exploits of this unorthodox team of mercenaries.

Their last job was a security detail. They had to accompany an eccentric and paranoid billionaire from Los Angeles to New Orleans, Louisiana. On the way there, they heard scattered reports of people becoming infected by some mutant strain of the rabies virus, and that people infected were going crazy and trying to eat other people. By the time they had dropped off their client and were on their way home, they discover that the virus doesn't drive people mad. It kills them and reanimates their bodies, causing them to attack and devour any living thing they see. And that these walking dead could only be stopped by shooting them through the head, or otherwise destroying the brain. The radio broadcasts said to head to Atlanta Georgia, that there was a safe quarantine zone there. But by the time the A-Team had arrived, Atlanta was a total war zone. So they left, and have been driving the back roads ever since. Hannibal had guessed, quite correctly, that many of the major highways would be gridlocked with panicking civilians. While the back country roads were the longer route, they had less traffic and would therefore not be as likely to be blocked up.

It has been several weeks since they had left Atlanta. Sticking to the more rural areas has allowed them to travel from farm to farm, scavenging for supplies and refueling whenever they can. Tonight, as they drive along, B.A. brings the van to a skidding halt.

"What is it B.A.?" asks Hannibal.

"Listen," says the larger man, and he holds a hand up indicating to the others to be quiet.

After a moment of silence they hear it. Gunshots. First only a couple. Then a few more. Now there's a steady pattern of guns being fired. The team can make out three or four different makes of guns.

"Sounds like a firefight," says Face.

"Or someone's refuge is being overrun by walkers," suggests Murdock.

"Let's go take a look and find out," says Hannibal.

"But what if it's two groups of survivors shooting each other over a can of beans?" asks Amy, "How will you know which side to back?"

"We won't," says Hannibal, "That's what makes it fun."

"Fun?" says Face. Then he turns and looks back at Hannibal, only to find a very familiar smile and gleam in the colonel's eye. "Oh no," he groans as he turns back to the front.

"Don't tell me," says B.A.

"Hannibal's on The Jazz," confirms Face.

"Captain," Hannibal says to Murdock, "Break out the guns."

Murdock opens the hidden compartment in the back of the van and pulls out four Ruger Mini-14GB's, as well as four extra clips, and hands them out to the other members of the team. He then pulls out a 9mm Beretta, slips a fresh clip into it and chambers a round, then hands it to Amy.

"You think you can handle this kiddo?" he asks her.

"I think so," she replies, "I've been getting a lot of practice lately."

"Okay," says Hannibal, "Sergeant! Take us to those gunshots!"

B.A. steps on the accelerator, turns the wheel, doing a 180 degree turn and speeds back down the road in the direction they had just come from. There was a turn off about a mile or so back. He's not 100% sure, but he thinks it will take them to where the gunshots were coming from.

"Remember guys," says Hannibal, "If these are walkers, aim for their heads not their feet."

A few miles away, at the side of a lake, a small collection of cars and trucks are parked in a semicircle around a campfire and a bunch of tents and sleeping bags. In the middle of these vehicles is a large, deluxe, luxury RV. Unlike many similar vehicles with incredibly thin doors and easily broken locks, this one has a very heavy door which locks with a deadbolt. Mounted on the back of the RV are two dirt bikes, one green and one yellow. Parked just behind the RV, at approximately a 45 degree angle, is a 1969 Dodge Charger. It's painted bright orange with the number "01" painted on the doors. Painted on the roof is the Confederate flag, with the words General Lee stenciled along the edges length wise. Just behind The General Lee, parked at approximately a 45 degree angle to the orange Dodge Charger, is a police squad car with the words "Hazzard County Sheriff's Department" stenciled on the doors, as well as a golden seven pointed star.

Parked at the front of the RV, also at about a 45 degree angle, is a customized GMC van. Very similar to B.A.'s van, not only in make but also in colour. Except where B.A.'s van is dark gray, this van is light silver. And the racing stripe which separates the silver top half from the black bottom half is orange and red, rather than just red. Mounted on the back of the van is a red dirt bike. And parked in front of the van, again at a 45 degree angle to the vehicle next to it, is a brown GMC pickup truck with a tan stripe down the sides. Painted on the hood of the truck is the picture of an American Bald Eagle with its wings spread wide. Stenciled below it are the words "Fall Guy Stuntman Association".

Surrounding the campsite is a herd of walkers, approaching the campers from all directions, save that of the lake at their backs. Kneeling on top of the RV are two young men, both armed with bows and arrows. The young archers fire arrow after arrow at the oncoming walkers, each one impaling a walker through the skull. The dark haired young man is older of the two, wearing cowboy boots, jeans, a white t-shirt, and a denim jacket. His name is Luke Duke, a Vietnam vet and ex-marine. Next to him is his younger cousin, Bo, a handsome young man with wavy blonde hair. He's wearing cowboy boots, jeans, a red t-shirt, and a yellow button down. While he may have never served in the marines, he is an ace shot with a bow and arrow.

Down below, using the General Lee as cover is their cousin, Daisy Duke. She's an absolutely gorgeous young woman with long, light brown hair. She's wearing skin tight jean cutoffs, the edges of which have frayed to the point where they cover very little at all. Her peasant blouse is tied off just above her navel, giving her an exposed midriff, and she's wearing high heeled boots. She's armed with a police issue 12 gage pump action shotgun. Every shot she fires causes a walker's head to explode. Next to her is her good friend, Deputy Sheriff Enos Strate. Enos is wearing his Hazzard County deputy's uniform, and is armed with his police issue .357 Magnum revolver. Having grown up hunting and fishing in Hazzard County, and being a police deputy to boot, Enos is an excellent shot, and puts a bullet in the skull of every walker he shoots at.

Using Enos's squad car for cover are three very attractive young women, all armed with .38 Magnum revolvers. The two brunettes are Kelly Garret and Sabrina Duncan, and the blonde is Jill Monroe. They were all once members of the Los Angeles Police Department. Unfortunately they were all dissatisfied with their jobs. Luckily a reclusive billionaire named Charlie Townsend had offered them a chance to come work for his private investigations agency, The Townsend Agency. Now called _Angels, _the three of them put their police training to good use. Each being an expert marksman, they drop a walker with every shot fired.

On the other side of the camp, using the van as cover is a man with white hair and a receding hair line. Wearing the doji of a ninja, and a silver medallion of a butterfly around his neck, he is armed with a bow and arrows. He also has a ninjato sword tucked into his belt. He is John Peter McAllister, once a major in the United States Army Air Corps. After the end of the Korean War, he found himself in Tokyo with a ticket home and no one to go home to. He decided to stay, where he trained as a ninja, and eventually was granted the title of Master. After thirty years, he received a letter from a daughter he never knew he had, Terry, asking for his help. Despite objections from his fellow ninja, he left for the US to find his daughter. Now he's fighting to survive against a herd of walkers. At the front of the van is McAllister's student, Max Keller. Max is a young man with long wavy brown hair, wearing jeans, a t-shirt, denim jacket, and runners. Tucked into his belt are dozens of The Master's throwing knives, which he throws at the walkers with great accuracy. Max was a drifter with a knack for getting into trouble. He met up with McAllister shortly after The Master arrived in the United States. They both ended up crossing a corrupt town sheriff, who was trying to run a family off of their property for a ruthless land developer. Neither of them liked that very much, and agreed to help out the young woman and her father. Afterwards they struck a deal. Max would help McAllister find his long lost daughter, and in exchange McAllister would teach Max to be a ninja.

The last vehicle is being used for cover by a man and a woman. The woman is young, blonde, athletic, and stunningly beautiful. She's wearing cowboy boots, jeans that are so tight they look as though they were painted on her body, a pink tank top cropped off just over the navel, and a short leather biker jacket with the Fall Guy Stuntman Association logo printed on the back. She's standing in the bed of the pickup truck, armed with an AK-47, and is gunning down walkers as quick as she can. Standing next to her is her good friend, Colt Seavers. He's armed with a pump action 12 gage shotgun, and is also gunning down walkers as quick as he can. He's wearing cowboy boots, jeans, a plaid button down shirt, and a black leather motorcycle jacket, also with the Fall Guy Stuntman Association logo printed on the back. The two of them are stunt performers, who before the apocalypse worked for 20th Century Fox Studios, doing film and television. As stunt people don't earn a lot of money making movies, they would moonlight as bounty hunters. Now they're a long way from Los Angeles, and are fighting just to stay alive.

Max Keller pulls his last two throwing knives from his belt. "I'm almost out!" he calls to McAllister.

"My arrows are nearly gone too!" replies The Master.

"So now what?" he asks.

"Take the two kama from my case!" McAllister tells him, "We're going to have to get in close! Don't leave the circle, let them come to you! They'll have to come at us from in between the vehicles. If we stay within the confines of the camp, they can't overwhelm us!"

"Easy for you to say," says Max as he throws the last two knives, then retrieves the sickle-like weapons, the kama, from The Master's suitcase.

Over by the General Lee, Daisy Duke has fired the shotgun's last shell. She quickly fishes some fresh shells out of the breast pocket of her blouse and starts feeding them into the shotgun. As she does this, a walker comes around the front of The General Lee and lunges for her.

"Daisy!" cries Enos, and he fires the last shot which is currently in his revolver and kills the thing before it can get to her.

Daisy turns to thank Enos, only to find that his protective instincts distracted him from the more immediate danger. Enos is struggling with another walker that has come around the other end of The General Lee. And with an empty revolver in his hand, he is in serious trouble. The walker grabs Enos and tries to pull him in close to bite him. Enos tries to push the walker off of him, but they're much stronger than they look.

"Enos!" cries Daisy, and she runs over to help her friend. As she approaches, she slams the butt of the shotgun into the walker's head. The walking corpse staggers back from the force of the blow, and Enos hooks it's ankle with his foot and shoves it away from him, tripping it and causing it to fall prone. Daisy then lifts her foot up, and brings the heel of her boot right down into the walker's forehead.

"Thanks, Miss Daisy," says Enos as he empties the spent shells from his revolver and grabs a quick load from his belt.

"Any time," replies Daisy as she reloads the shotgun, "But next time you should pay more attention to the walkers comin' at you and leave those comin' at me to me."

"I just can't stand the thought of ya gettin' bit," he replies as he guns down two more walkers.

"Feelin's mutual," she says as she takes aim at another walker and blows it's head off.

On the other side of the camp, Jody Banks and Colt Seavers are gunning down walkers as quickly as they can. Colt blows the head off of a walker, ejects the spent shell, then takes aim at another. But when he pulls the trigger, there's an audible 'click' instead of the ear splitting 'bang'.

"I'm empty!" he calls over to Jody.

Jody takes aim at another walker with her AK-47 and pulls the trigger, but much like Colt a moment earlier, all she hears is a 'click'.

"Me too!" she shouts back.

Colt pulls a revolver from his belt and cocks the hammer with his thumb. It's a chrome plated, pearl handled, single action Colt .45. It was a gift from Colt's childhood hero and good friend, Roy Rogers. Roy had given the revolver to Colt as a gift after they had worked on their second television special together a few years back. Unlike most of Roy's guns, which were merely props and little more than very realistic looking cap guns, this was a genuine Colt .45 Peace Maker, capable of shooting real bullets. Being a single action revolver, Colt has to pull the hammer back for every shot, making it a little less efficient than the modern double action revolvers. But it was a sentimental favorite of Seavers'.

"Hurry and reload!" he tells Jody, "I'll cover you!"

Colt takes aim with his revolver and starts shooting walkers through the head. Meanwhile, Jody removes the spent magazine from her assault rifle and fishes a couple of fresh clips from her jacket pocket. The magazines have been taped together with electrical tape, each facing the opposite direction. It was a trick Jody had learned from working in action films and TV shows. It keeps you from having to fish for a fresh clip every time your gun is empty. She snaps a fresh clip into place, chambers a round, then takes aim.

"Quick! Reload!" she shouts, "I'll cover you!"

Colt fires off the last few rounds in his revolver, then places it back in his belt and starts feeding fresh shells into his shotgun. Once the shotgun is fully loaded, Colt chambers a round and starts shooting at the walkers again.

In the middle of the camp, walkers are shuffling around Max's van and heading towards Max and The Master. As predicted, they have to bunch up to get between the vehicles, making them easy pickings for McAllister and his student. A faint squeaking noise catches the attention of one of the walkers and it looks through the van window. There on the dashboard, running in his little exercise wheel, is Max's pet hamster Henry. The walker starts banging on the window trying to get to the living creature inside.

"Oh no!" exclaims Max, "Henry!"

Unfortunately the walkers were packed in between the vehicles too tightly for Max to go to his pet's aid. McAllister can only hope that they can clear this herd of walkers before it can break through the glass to get to the poor hamster. Suddenly, the walker that is trying to break through the van window takes an arrow through the skull. Max glances up and sees Luke Duke on top of the RV with his longbow in hand. He fires Max a quick salute then goes back to targeting walkers. Max smiles and continues to cut down the walkers that get between the van and the pickup.

Bo and Luke Duke continue to fire arrow after arrow from on top of the RV. Bo looks down at their dwindling supply of arrows.

"We're gonna run out of arrows soon, Cuz," he says to Luke.

"Ya got yer knife on ya?" Luke asks him.

"Course," replies Bo, "Why?"

"Cause we might have to take the rest out hand to hand."

"Ya want us to jump down into that herd o' walkers?"

"Heck no!" says Luke, "Ya wanna end up like Coy and Vance? I'm sayin' we should jump down on the side next to Max and McAllister. Back them up"

"Right," says Bo, "I like that plan better."

Over by Enos's squad car, The Angels are gunning down every walker they see with their side arms. Sabrina Duncan fires the last round in her revolver into the head of a walker, and then pops open the chamber and shakes out the empty shell casings. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a quick-load, releases the bullets into the chambers, then closes the weapon.

"That's my last quick-load," says Sabrina as she starts shooting again, "After this I'm going to have to reload each chamber individually."

"Join the club," says Kelly Garrett, "I used my last quick-load last time I reloaded."

"If we don't run out of walkers soon, we're gonna get over run," says Jill Munroe, "Unless a miracle happens within the next few minutes."

As if on cue, they see the headlights of a vehicle come barreling down the dirt road towards their campsite. They can hear the roar of a supped up engine as the headlights get closer and closer. The lights and engine diverts the walkers attention, and many of them turn to see the fast approaching vehicle. The rag tag band of survivors take advantage of this distraction to put down as many of the walking dead as they can before the damn things remember that there are campers close by to eat.

B.A. sees the herd of walkers surrounding the circle of vehicles and guns the engine of his van. Using the vehicle as a weapon, he steps on the accelerator and runs down all the walkers in his path. Gore splatters against his windshield and front grill as the walking dead, with no sense of self preservation, allow themselves to be run over. When the van nears the end of the line, B.A. slams on the breaks and turns the wheel, doing a 180 degree skid and knocking down several walkers with the side of his van. He then steps on the accelerator and starts mowing down walkers while heading in the opposite direction. He then slams on the breaks and brings the van to a skidding halt. Then B.A. pops up out of the sunroof with his Ruger Mini-14GB and begins gunning down walkers.

Almost as soon as B.A. starts firing, the side door to the van slides open and out steps the rest of the A-Team. Hannibal, Face Man, and Murdock are all also armed with Ruger Mini-14GB's, and are gunning down the walkers as they come at them. Amy Allen stays in the van, but uses the semi-automatic handgun she was handed to keep any walkers from flanking the guys. In a matter of minutes, with the walkers caught in the crossfire between the campers and the A-Team, the herd is soon wiped out. B.A. and Amy exit the van and join the others. Then all five of them walk cautiously over to the circle of parked vehicles.

Bo and Luke climb down off of the top of the RV to stand with their group. While these newcomers did help keep them from being overrun by walkers, many once decent people have turned quite savage since the epidemic had gotten out of control. Now they are extremely cautious of strangers. They allow this heavily armed group of men, and one woman, enter their camp uncontested. Their apparent leader, a white haired man with an unlit cigar clamped between his teeth, steps forward.

"Who's in charge here?" he asks.

"I suppose that would be me," replies John Peter McAllister, as he steps forward.

They all wait with baited breath to see what happens next. Obviously neither group fully trusts the other. Both wait for the other to make the first move, whatever that move may be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Hannibal and McAllister stand there staring at each other for several moments. Then Hannibal cocks his head to the side. "Johnny?" he says.

"Hannibal?" replies the master ninja.

Then the two of them burst out in smiles and embrace each other like long lost brothers. The other members of The A-Team look at each other in confusion, as do McAllister's companions.

"You old son of a gun!" says The Master.

"How the hell are you?" says Hannibal as he releases McAllister from his embrace and claps him on the shoulder, "I haven't seen you since Korea!"

"Not since we had that double date in Seoul," agrees The Master.

"Right!" exclaims Hannibal, "With those two nurses from that M*A*S*H unit, the 4077!"

"What was the name of that gorgeous blonde you were with that night? She was a major wasn't she?"

"Hoolihan!" replies Hannibal, "Margaret Hoolihan! Who did you wind up with again?"

"I don't remember," says McAllister, "I only remember waking up in my hotel room the next morning with a killer hangover. I don't think I've touched a Singapore Sling again since that night!"

"Uh, McAllister?" says Enos, "Ya mind introducing us all to your friend there?"

"Oh, sorry," says the old ninja, "How rude of me. Hannibal, this here is Deputy Sheriff Enos Strate. That lovely young lady with him is Daisy Duke. These two young men are her cousins, Bo and Luke Duke."

"That's Corporal Luke Duke, Sir," says Luke as he extends his hand to the colonel, "United States Marine Corps."

"Corporal," says Hannibal as he shakes his hand, "You in 'Nam?"

"Yes Sir," replies Luke, "At least during the last few years of the war. I was given an honorable discharge when I got home."

"Good to meet you, son."

"These three lovely young ladies are Sabrina Duncan, Jill Munroe, and Kelly Garrett. They were police officers with the LAPD, before joining The Townsend Agency and becoming private investigators. And over here we have Colt Seavers and his friend Jody Banks. They used to be Hollywood stunt people before all of this craziness went down."

"You were in movies?" says Hannibal joyfully, "What a coincidence, so was I! I was The Aquamaniac in parts two through five!"

"You were The Aquamaniac?" says Jody, "I was up for a part in the last one! I turned it down though."

"Really?" says Hannibal, "How come?"

"I had a problem with the wardrobe," she replies, "There wasn't any."

"Ah, that would be where I attacked the nude beach."

"Too bad," says Face, "I bet you would have been _great_ in the role."

"When they weren't taking falls to make Burt and Lonnie look good, they were bounty hunters," explains McAllister.

"Bounty hunters?" says Hannibal.

"Stunt people don't get paid the same big money that the actors get," says Colt.

"If I had known that a bounty hunter that looks like her was after me," says Face, "I would have allowed myself to get caught years ago."

"And last but not least is my student, Max Keller."

"Your student?" says Hannibal, "You teaching people to crash bomber planes?"

"Actually," says Max, "He's teaching me to be a ninja."

"A ninja?"

"Thirty years is a long time, my friend," replies McAllister, "And who is this you have with you?"

"This is my team. Here's my first officer, and acquisitions officer, Lieutenant Templeton 'Face Man' Peck. The big guy with the charming smile is our mechanic, Sergeant B.A. Barracus." B.A. growls at his introduction, "This here is our pilot, Captain H.M. 'Howling Mad' Murdock. And this lovely lady with us is our friend, ace investigative reporter Amy Amanda Allen. We're The A-Team."

"The A-Team?" says Enos, "Hot damn! I can't believe I didn't recognize you guys! We had your wanted posters up in the office back at Hazzard County! I'll be damned! The A-Team!" he turns to Daisy, "In the Vietnam War, these guys robbed the Bank of Hanoi! Made off with a half a billion dollars!"

"Actually it was more like a hundred million," says Face, "I guess you can say we had a yen for a little extra cash."

The rest of the team groans at the pun.

"Oh Face Man," whines Murdock, "That joke is so old."

"So?" replies Face, "So is the crime we were accused of."

"So what now Hannibal?" asks Amy.

"Well if Johnny and his group have no objections, I was thinking we could stay the night."

"After all we've been through together?" says McAllister, "I'd be offended if you didn't."

"All right! B.A. I need you to park the van right behind this RV here. Once it's in place, I need you and Face to grab some flashlights and hammers out of the back and make sure that none of the walkers are still moving. Especially the ones you ran over with the van, they're the most likely to have broken bodies but not necessarily be killed."

"Hannibal," says Face, "Can't Murdock have a turn? I mean, I just got these new boots and . . . "

"Move it Lieutenant!"

Face and B.A. head over to the van. "Great," grumbles the lieutenant, "I liked these boots."

"Shut up fool!" growls B.A., "You didn't even buy them! You just scrounged them out of a boot store!"

"Hey, they were the last pair of stingray boots left in my size. Now I'll probably get walker sludge all over them. They'll be ruined."

B.A. just shakes his head as he and Face Man climb into his van. Hannibal then turns to Murdock.

"Captain," he says, "As soon as the van is in place, I want you to reload, grab some night vision goggles, climb up on top of the RV, and take up watch!"

"Right Colonel!" replies Murdock with a sharp salute.

"Is there anything I can do Hannibal?" asks Amy.

"Sure, kid," replies the colonel, "Once the van is parked you can take an inventory of our ammunition. See how much we have left."

"Right."

"All right you guys!" shouts McAllister, "Let's move these vehicles and make some room!"

Immediately the rest of the group jumps into action, widening their circle of cars and trucks to make room for B.A.'s van. When Max finishes moving his van so that B.A. can squeeze his van into their circle of cars, McAllister walks up to his pupil and hands him the ninjato sword.

"I want you to help B.A. and Face," he says, "And try and recover as many arrows and throwing knives as you can."

"Shouldn't the scavenger hunt wait until daylight, when they're easier to spot?"

"We may need them again before the sun rises," replies The Master, "Humour me."

"You're the boss."

"And Max . . ."

"I know, I know. If I get bit, you'll stab me through the brain. Just promise me you'll take care of Henry if that ever happens."

"You got it," says the old ninja with a mischievous grin.

Max grabs a flashlight from his glove compartment and goes to do as he was asked. Meanwhile, Hannibal walks over to his old war buddy.

"So what the heck were you thinking?" Hannibal asks him, "Building a bonfire by the lake like you did? Don't you know that walkers are attracted to light? You were one of the best soldiers I have ever served with. And you're a ninja! You should know better."

"It was a calculated risk," says the master ninja, "The boys had shot a deer this morning. After butchering it, we stuffed as much as we could in the RV's fridge, but the fridge isn't very large so we had to cook the rest so it wouldn't go bad right away."

"You have a fridge?" asks Hannibal, "Full of meat? Fresh meat?"

"Yep," agrees McAllister, "What have you guys got?"

"Spam and Beanie-Weenies mostly," says Hannibal, "We also got a case of fruit cocktail, several boxes of skim milk powder, and a case of canned condensed milk. Weapons wise we have these four Rugers, four AR-15 assault rifles, two Uzis, an M-60, several handguns of various models and calibers, an M79 grenade launcher, as well as whatever we could scavenge along the way. How about you?"

"The Duke boys and I all have bows and arrows," replies McAllister, "Plus I have all of my other ninja equipment. Enos has his service revolver and shotgun. The Angels each has a .38 caliber revolver, plus there are three hunting rifles in the RV. A .22, a 30-30, and a 30-06. Unfortunately they ran out of ammunition for them some time ago. Colt and Jody have a variety of weapons stored in his truck. Most notably an AK-47, a couple of shotguns, and several revolvers."

Everyone who isn't working at securing the camp sits down around the fire. Daisy fixes Hannibal a plate of food and hands it to him, which the colonel accepts graciously. Once everyone has settled down on a stump or a log, Hannibal decides to get to know his hosts better.

"So," says the colonel, "How did you all come to be traveling together?"

"Max and I were on our way to Atlanta following up on a clue as to my daughter's whereabouts," replies McAllister.

"You have a daughter?" says Hannibal, just a little shocked, "Since when?"

"Apparently about twenty five years ago," replies The Master, "I got a letter in the mail about a year ago, when I was living in Japan. It was from Terri, telling me she was in trouble and needed my help. I've been looking for her ever since."

"And when did you meet Max?"

"Almost as soon as I arrived in the US. He and I made an arrangement. He would help me find my daughter . . ."

"And you would teach him to be a ninja," concludes Hannibal.

"How about you girls?" Hannibal asks The Angels.

"Our boss, Charlie, sent us to Atlanta to try and find a famous microbiologist who had disappeared," explains Jill, "We were in the middle of our search when the entire city was quarantined. The next thing we knew all hell broke loose. People were getting infected and attacking others. Eventually the military started just gunning everyone down, not just the walkers. The streets were being firebombed. The Angels and I, as well as a handful of other survivors, took to the sewers and managed to make our way to the edge of the city. We slipped past the blockade and headed up the highway. We found that RV. It used to belong to a family. Unfortunately, it appeared one of them had been infected, and turned on the rest of his family. We cleared the RV of walkers and commandeered it as our own. Then we ran into McAllister, and the rest, as they say, is history."

"How about you, deputy?"

"First I heard of the virus was when Boss Hogg's wife, Lulu, got sick," replies Enos, "She died in her sleep. Boss was sure broken up over her, cryin' at her bedside. But then she woke up. Boss was happy, right up until she bit his throat out. Roscoe, he was the sheriff and Lulu's baby brother, well he tried to stop her, but then both Boss and Lulu attacked him and just ate him up. They even ate his dog Flash! Well when I saw what was goin' on, I warned everyone to stay away from Boss Hogg and Lulu. I went to the local pub_, The Boar's Nest_, and I picked up Daisy and I brought her right home to the Duke family farm."

"Enos told Uncle Jesse and the boys what was goin' on in town," says Daisy, "So we made preparations to be able to make a quick getaway if needed, then boarded up the house and barricaded ourselves inside. We made sure to bring in the goat and a bunch of the hens so we would at least have a ready supply of eggs and milk if the farm ever got overrun."

"Sure enough, the infection swept through Hazzard County like wildfire," says Enos, "And everyone that had turned came to the Duke family farm looking for fresh meat."

"Our other cousins, Vance and Coy, were visiting us from the NASCAR circuit," says Luke, "So to be able to make it to the cars, we tossed the chickens out the window as a distraction, then made a break for it."

"Sounds sensible," says Hannibal.

"Well," continues Luke, "Uncle Jesse wasn't as young, or as healthy as he used to be. Plus, he was shootin' walkers with his double barrel shotgun as he ran. And we didn't know at the time that ya have to shoot 'em in the head."

"Let me guess . . ." says Hannibal.

"Uncle Jesse got overwhelmed," says Luke, "Walkers dragged him down to the ground and began eatin' him. Vance and Coy went back to try and help, but it was too late, and they both ended up gettin' bit."

"When I saw they was bit, I told 'em they had to stay behind," says Enos, "So they grabbed the wood axe and pitchfork from the barn, where the cars were parked, and served as decoys so we could get away."

"Wow," says Hannibal, "I'm very sorry about your family."

"Thank you," says Daisy somberly.

"Colt and I were in Atlanta shooting a movie when this all broke out," says Jody, "Plus we were hunting a fugitive."

"The guy jumped bail after being arrested for credit card fraud," says Colt, "Hardly a hardened criminal. But it's what pays the bills. Luckily he had been spotted in the Atlanta area and all I had to do was bring him into the local courthouse. Of course that was right about when the army moved in to quarantine the city."

"So you made your way out of the city just in time, found these guys, and the rest is history," says Hannibal.

"Pretty much."

Face and B.A. return to the camp, carrying sledgehammers covered in gore. With them is Max, with the ninjato tucked in his belt and a bundle of arrows in his hand.

"No walkers are gonna be moving tonight," says Face.

"Good work fellas," says Hannibal, "Now grab a couple of rifles and night vision goggles and join Murdock on watch. Each of you pick a van and guard our flanks."

"Hannibal . . ." says Face.

"Face," Hannibal interrupts him, "These people are sharing their camp and their food with us. The least we can do is take over sentry duty for them. We can burn the bodies tomorrow. Their smell should help mask our own and camouflage the camp for the night."

"I got my van," says B.A. as he heads over to his van, with Face Man hot on his heels.

Once they had left, Hannibal turns to his old friend. "So when did you become a ninja?"

"After Korea," replies McAllister, "I found myself in Tokyo with a ticket home and nothing to go home to. Something about the tranquility of the place, the people, the culture, just sit well with me. So I stayed."

"And just decided to become a ninja one day?"

"It was a little more complicated than that, but essentially, yes."

Everyone sits around the bonfire and enjoys each other's company quietly for a while. Eventually Jill Munroe goes into the RV and comes back out carrying an acoustic guitar, which she hands to Colt Seavers.

"How about some _Unknown Stunt Man_?" she says.

Colt takes the guitar and strums it a couple of times. He adjusts the strings a few times to get it in tune. Then he starts plucking the strings in a fun country style tune.

"I'm not one to kiss and tell, but I've been seen with Farrah

I've never been with anything less than a nine, so fine

I've been on fire with Sally Field, gone fast with a girl named Bo

But somehow they just don't end up as mine.

It's a death defying life I lead, I take my chances

I die for a living in the movies and TV.

But the hardest thing I'll ever do is watch my leading ladies,

Kiss some other guy while I'm bandaging my knee.

_I might fall from a tall building, or roll a brand new car,_

'_Cause I'm the unknown stunt man that makes Redford such a star._

I never spent much time in school, but I've taught ladies plenty

It's true I hire my body out for pay, hey hey.

I've gotten burned over Cheryl Tiegs, blown up for Raquel Welch

But when I wind up in the hay it's only hay, hey hey

_I might jump an open drawbridge, or Tarzan from a vine_

'_Cause I'm the unknown stunt man, that makes Eastwood look so fine_

They'll never make me President, but I got the best First Ladies

Some days I got 'em as far as the eye can see, ouee

A morning dove with Jacky Smith, a crash in the night with Cheryl

But in the end they never stay with me

_I might fall from a tower building, so Burt Reynolds don't get hurt_

_I might leap the mighty canyon, so he can kiss and flirt._

_While that smooth talker's kissing my girl, I'm just kissing dirt_

_Yes I'm the lonely stunt man, that made a lover out of Burt._

Hannibal claps his hands in appreciation of the song, as do many of the others around the fire. Tonight may have started out with bloodshed, but it is nice to be able to relax and enjoy yourself every once in a while. Soon Amy approaches the colonel.

"So what's the word kid?" he asks her.

"We still have plenty of ammo for the AR-15's," she tells him, "As well as the M-60, and the Uzis. We're running low on ammo for the Rugers, and the handguns. We still have a fair number of grenades for the grenade launcher, as well as hand grenades."

"How about food?"

"For the five of us? Maybe a month worth if we ration it. For everyone in this camp? We'll be lucky to last a week."

"Well, sit down and have something to eat," says the colonel, "You did good tonight."

"Should I take some to the guys?"

"In a little bit," replies Hannibal, "Daisy just put some vegetables on to cook for them. Their food should be done cooking by the time you've finished eating."

Amy sits down and is handed a plate by Daisy. Colt plucks away at the guitar strings a little more, then hands the instrument over to Luke.

"Here," says the former stunt man, "How about some _Good Ol' Boys_?"

Luke smiles as he takes up the guitar. The addition of five new, heavily armed and highly trained individuals to the group, especially as their leader and McAllister are old army buddies, has put him in a much cheerier mood. Granted, it is five more mouths to feed. But it's also more guns, more ammunition, and more people to fire them. The dark haired ex-marine begins plucking the guitar strings in a cheerful melody, and then begins to sing.

"Just a good ol' boys

Never meanin' no harm

Beats all you never saw

Been in trouble with the law

Since the day they was born

Straightnin' the curves

Flatnin' the hills

Someday the mountain might get 'em

But the law never will

_Makin' their way_

_The only way they know how_

_That's just a little bit more_

_Than the law will allow._

_Makin' their way_

_The only way they know how_

_That's just a little more_

_Than the law will allow._

I'm a good ol' boy

You know my momma loves me

But she don't understand

They keep showing my hands and not my face on TV

Just good ol' boys

Wouldn't change if they could

Fightin' the system like a true modern day Robin Hood."

Once again there is a round of applause as Luke finishes the Waylon Jennings song. Certain that the immediate danger is past, at least for tonight, many in the group feel a great sense of relief and are able to relax and enjoy themselves. At least for a little while.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Later that night, B.A. is sitting on top of his van, watching the camps right flank. The night vision goggles allow him to see every bit of movement in the surrounding area. The stench of death is nearly overwhelming. Part of B.A. longs to be down by the fire with the others, where the scent of wood smoke would mask the stench of carrion. But Hannibal was right about one thing, the surrounding stench should help mask their sent. And B.A. was a soldier, first and foremost. He knows his duty and won't shirk his responsibilities. Suddenly the sound of the van sunroof opening makes him start in surprise. The girl in the short jean cut offs, Daisy Duke, pops her head up through the opening.

"Hey!" she says cheerfully, "Just me! I brought ya somethin' ta eat." She brings up a plate of flame roasted venison, a couple of aluminum foil bundles, and a 595 ml plastic Coke bottle filled with what appears to be milk. "Yer friends said ya really like milk, so I mixed up some o' yer skim milk powder inta yer drinkin' water. Hope ya don't mind."

"That's awfully thoughtful of you, thanks," says B.A gratefully.

"I kin help y'all keep watch while ya eat if y'want," she offers.

"I'd appreciate that," he says.

Daisy pulls herself up through the sunroof and takes a seat next to the large, muscular black man. B.A. starts tearing into the aluminum foil, and is surprised to find fresh corn on the cob, baby carrots, baby potatoes, and chopped onions.

"Vegetables?" he says in astonishment, "Fresh vegetables? Where did you find fresh vegetables?"

"There's this little house not too far from here," she replies, "Has a vegetable garden in back. Looks like it's been abandoned for a while. I guess the vegetables weren't ready to harvest when the owners left. Anyway, we grabbed what we could and ran."

"Sounds nice," says B.A., "Why didn't you stay there?"

"Too many trees around," she says, "We wouldn't see the walkers comin' 'til it was too late. Also, the livin' room and dinin' room windows were all at ground level, and way too big to board up. No way we'd be able to keep walkers outa there for long."

"Sounds reasonable," agrees B.A.

"We didn't have no butter or margarine to put on yer vegetables, so I cooked 'em in deer fat with some salt 'n pepper. I hope that's okay."

"Are you kidding?" replies the big man, "After eating Beanie-Weenies for the past several days, this will be a real treat!"

"Oh, and we're short on cutlery so yer gonna hafta eat with yer hands. I guess we shoulda stolen some of their silverware too, while we were there."

"This'll be fine," he says. B.A. digs into the carrots, potatoes, and onions with his fingers, stuffing the hot food into his mouth quickly so as to keep from burning his fingers too badly. As Daisy had promised, there was no buttery taste, but he could taste the grease from the deer fat, which was new but not unpleasant. The salt and pepper she had added helped the taste some. At risk of burning the inside of his mouth with the hot food, B.A. takes a quick drink of his milk. His eyes widen in surprise and he looks at Daisy.

"This actually tastes like the real thing!" he exclaims in surprise.

"A little trick my Uncle Jesse taught me when I was a little girl," she says, "When mixing skim milk powder with water, ya add some canned condensed milk. It's best after a day in the fridge, but it'll make yer powdered milk taste like the real thing."

"So you used my skim milk powder_, and_ my canned milk?"

"Only some of it," she says, suddenly worried that she may have overstepped her bounds here, "That's okay, isn't it?"

"I just wish I had thought of mixing the two," he replies.

Daisy breathes a sigh of relief as B.A. picks up his piece of venison and takes a bite. Once again his eyes light up.

"Barbeque sauce!" he says, "Real barbeque sauce! How . . . ?"

"We came across a corner grocery store about a week ago," she says, "The place was pretty much picked clean, but we scavenged what we could. There was an entire case of the stuff left behind. Don't know if the other people ran out of room to carry it, or if it they didn't see the point as they had no meat to put it on. Anyway, we took it."

"Well, thank you for sharing it with us."

"D'ya mind if I ask ya a question?" asks Daisy.

"Shoot," replies B.A. as he takes another sip of his surprisingly real tasting milk.

"Why do you wear so much gold?"

B.A. stops drinking his milk and gets very quiet. "It's a long story," he says at last.

"I don't mind," she replies.

"It's kind of personal."

"There ain't no secrets in this group," she tells him.

The big man inhales a deep breath, and then releases it with a heavy sigh. He turns and looks at the young woman. Then he looks back out over the open field. She waits for him to speak. Finally he turns and looks her in the eye once more.

"Have you ever killed anybody?" he asks.

"Y'mean someone who ain't already dead and tryin' ta eat me?" she asks. B.A. nods his head. "No." she admits.

"I have."

"Vietnam?"

B.A. nods again. "It ain't like in the movies, or on TV. It's ugly. It's dirty. And it stays with you for the rest of your life."

"I know," says Daisy, "I sometimes hear Luke cryin' out at night. Sometimes he shouts out for people he knew in the corps. Sometimes he shouts out in what I guess is Vietnamese. Other nights he just screams. Don't say nothin', just screams."

"The dead," says B.A., "They stay with you. Every night, when you close your eyes. You see them. The ones you killed. The friends you couldn't save. All of them."

B.A. pauses briefly, and Daisy waits for him to continue. She knew from personal experience that Luke has a hard time talking about the war. And she didn't know B.A. very well, but she got the feeling that he liked talking about it even less. But he was opening up to her, so she patiently waited for him to continue.

"One of the first kills I ever made over there," he says, "We were pinned down by enemy fire. I managed to work my way around to their flank. All I could see through the bushes was the VC's black pajamas, his AK-47, and the muzzle flashes as he fired at the team. I took aim and opened fire. When the shooting was over, I went to check on the enemy, make sure he was dead." B.A. paused to collect his thoughts, "He was just a kid. Couldn't have been more than twelve years old. Charlie recruited a twelve year old kid, gave him a rifle, and trained him to kill us."

Daisy gasps at this revelation and brings her hand to her mouth. She almost doesn't want him to continue. But B.A., speaking of this for the first time in years, presses on.

"When we got home," he says, "After we broke out of prison, I started seeing him every night when I fell asleep. I saw others too, but his face was always the first one I would see. One day, I don't really know why, but I was thinking about his face while I was looking through men's rings in a jewelry store. On impulse I bought one." He holds up his right hand and extends his pinky finger, "This one, right here. Ever since I put it on, his face hasn't haunted my dreams. Then I started buying other pieces, each one for a face that I would see when I closed my eyes at night. Each time, that face would stop haunting my dreams."

"My God," says Daisy, after several moments' silence.

"Now you see why I don't like to talk about it." They sit quietly for several more moments. "Can I ask you something?" asks B.A.

"Sure. What?" replies Daisy.

"Why is a white supremacist being so nice to a black man?"

"_What_?" she almost shrieks.

B.A. looks past her and motions for her to turn around with his chin. She turns and sees what he was referring to. The Confederate flag painted on top of The General Lee. Daisy lets out an exasperated sigh. Yankees always get the wrong idea about her family whenever they see the flag painted on top of their family's car.

"We _are not_ white supremacists," she says with a tone of finality, "Our Uncle Jesse raised us to judge a man by his actions, not the colour of his skin! The General Lee represents our pride in our family, and our pride in Hazzard County. It _is not_ a symbol of any political or racial beliefs."

"Then why not paint over it?"

"That car was willed to Luke by his parents when they died while runnin' moonshine for Uncle Jesse when we was just kids," she explains, "It's not only the fastest damn car in the whole damn county, it also has extreme sentimental value. Not only to Luke, but also to me and Bo, who also lost our parents in that car crash. We can no more paint over The General Lee than . . . you could tear up a picture of your momma."

"I guess I never thought about that," admits B.A.

"Well, I'm goin' ta bed. Enjoy yer meal," and with that Daisy crawls through the sunroof and returns to camp.

The night passes uneventfully. Whether this is because the stench of the dead walkers littering the open field is masking the scent of everyone in the camp, or because there were no more walkers within ear shot of the firefight, none can say. Everyone has some fruit cocktail for breakfast, provided by the A-Team, and some instant coffee provided by The Angels. Then most of the camp get to work piling up the bodies of the walkers and gathering firewood to burn them with. The only ones not helping with this are Hannibal, McAllister, Colt Seavers, Enos, and Sabrina Duncan. They are all gathered around the hood of The General Lee with various road maps laid out before them.

"Not to state the obvious, but we can't stay here," says Sabrina.

"So where should we go?" asks Enos.

"We need to find somewhere that is defensible, but will also allow us to be self-sufficient," says The Master.

"I have a few ideas in that regard," says Hannibal as he lights his cigar.

"You still smoking those disgusting things?" asks McAllister.

"Not so much nowadays," admits Hannibal, "Finding new cigars is tough. But I always think better when I smoke."

"You always were the one with the plans."

"So what are you thinking, Colonel?" asks Enos.

"The way I see it," says Hannibal, "We have three directions ahead of us, and four possible final destinations."

"Three directions and four destinations?" asks Colt.

"Well, two of them are more or less in the same direction."

"So where should we go?" asks Sabrina.

"I figure we have a choice between east, west, and north," replies Hannibal.

"Why not south?" asks Enos.

"I can't think of anywhere south of here where we can barricade ourselves in and be safe from the walkers for any length of time," he replies.

"How about The Alamo?" asks Enos.

"It's possible you're forgetting what happened to the last bunch of people who barricaded themselves inside The Alamo," replies the colonel.

"Good point," says Enos, "But then I don't think the walkers are gonna be blasting the walls with cannons."

"True," admits Hannibal, "But we're going to have a devil of a time making that place self-sufficient. Still, it's not a bad suggestion for a Plan E."

"So what do you have in mind, Colonel?" asks Sabrina.

"Washington DC is just east of here," explains Hannibal, "As is The White House."

"You think the President of these United States is gonna help us?" asks Enos.

"Maybe," says Hannibal, "If he's still there. But I have a feeling he's Likely in Denver Colorado, hiding in the fallout shelter they built there for The President and other members of High Society that the country just can't survive without. Either way, The White House is the closest and most secure location where we can hold out against almost any number of walkers almost indefinitely."

"Almost?" says McAllister.

"Well, if the gates are still intact. And if there's someone in the White House to let us in. Or at least if they left the doors unlocked. Then yeah, we can hold out there for a long time. The entire perimeter of the grounds is surrounded by a twelve foot high wrought iron fence, deeply cemented into the ground. I highly doubt any number of walkers will be able to knock that thing over. The White House itself is designed to withstand terrorist attacks and prevent assassination attempts. The doors are steel reinforced. The windows all have bullet proof glass and security bars. You would need a tank to break in. Inside the White House is huge. There are the living quarters of the First Family, guest rooms, servants' quarters, Secret Service quarters . . . you can house a small army in there. And outside, the back yard is the size of a football field. All you'd have to do is cut away the sod to get to the fertile soil underneath and you can make a vegetable garden as large as you want."

"Assuming the gates are intact," says McAllister.

"That . . . and the fact that there's likely at least a thousand walkers between us and the gates," everyone looks at Hannibal with an expression of shock, "What? I said they were our best chances, not that it would be easy."

"So what's up north?" asks Colt, trying to get away from the thought of fighting through thousands of walkers in order to maybe find sanctuary at The White House.

"Canada," replies Hannibal, "Specifically Bath, Ontario and Quebec City, Quebec."

"Why there?"

"Well, Canada in general because of their bitter cold winters," replies Hannibal, "Ontario and Quebec are known to get far below zero degrees before you even factor in the wind chill."

"Of course!" says The Master, "Walkers are just reanimated dead flesh! They have no internal body heat. When the temperature drops below zero, they'll be frozen solid. They won't be able to move."

"Then we'll just have to strap on some snow shoes, walk right up to them, and smash their skulls with a hammer without having to worry about getting bit."

"Okay," says Enos, "But why those two cities?"

"Well Canada isn't frozen three hundred sixty five days a year," says Hannibal, "We'll need a place to live during the warmer months when it's more dangerous to go out scavenging for supplies."

"Okay . . ."

"Bath, Ontario is the location of Canada's toughest maximum security prison. If the prison has been abandoned, that means there will be steel fences, concrete walls, and locked steel doors to keep the walkers out."

"And if it isn't abandoned?"

"If it isn't abandoned then either it's overrun with walkers. Or the inmates have taken it over. Or some other survivors have thought the same thing I have and are now living there. If it's overrun with walkers, then all we'll have to do is clear it out and it'll be ours. Plus, there should be enough food to feed several hundred inmates for weeks, plus an infirmary full of medicines and clean bandages. If it's been taken over by survivors like us, maybe they'll let us join their group."

"And if it's been taken over by the inmates?"

"Then we'll need to find somewhere else to live. I don't like the idea of these ladies living alongside convicted felons."

"Last I heard, bank robbery was a felony," says Sabrina with a mischievous wink.

"Only if you get caught," replies Hannibal, "Besides, we were never convicted."

"Okay," says The Master, "That explains the pros and cons of Ontario. What about Quebec?"

"Quebec City is one of the few walled cities left in the world today," explains Hannibal, "When it was first built by the French in the seventeen or eighteen hundreds, they built a wall around it to protect the city from British and American invasion, as well as Indian attacks. As the city expanded over the decades, they just built the city past the confines of the wall. But the wall itself is still there."

"Interesting," says McAllister, "So we head to Quebec, enter the city walls, then close the gates and lock the walkers out."

"That's the general idea," says Hannibal.

"So what's the down side of this plan?" asks Colt.

"For one thing," replies the colonel, "We might not be the first ones to think of this. There could very well be other survivors there already, and they might not want to take us in. Also, like Washington, Quebec is a major metropolitan area. There could be thousands of walkers between us and the gates. Even if we are the first people to think of this, and we do make it to the gates and barricade ourselves in, we could be barricading ourselves inside high stone walls with thousands of walkers already inside. And if we decide to travel into Canada in the winter time when we would be safe from walkers, we won't be safe from the weather. Without snowplows to clear the roads, and salt trucks to melt the ice, we'd likely get stuck long before we reached either location."

"So what's the last possible destination?" asks Sabrina.

"San Francisco," says the colonel, "Specifically, Alcatraz Island."

"Alcatraz?" says Enos.

"Alcatraz," confirms Hannibal, "Before it was a prison, Alcatraz was a military fortification designed to repel attacks from foreign countries like England or Spain. When it was converted into a prison it was virtually escape proof. And if it's impossible to break out, it should be nearly as impossible to break in. Being a prison means stone walls, chain link fences, steel gates that lock, and guard towers. It hasn't been in service for years, which means there should be minimal people or walkers there for us to deal with. It's on an island, which means we should be safe from wandering herds of walkers as well as most bandits. Also, being an island, that means we would be surrounded by a bay full of fish. As long as the fishing is good, we should never go hungry."

"You know," says Colt, "I was Clint Eastwood's stunt double on the Dirty Harry movie_, The Enforcer_."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And the big climax was shot on location at Alcatraz. Between takes I would take a walk around when they didn't need me to double for Clint, and there were a bunch of apple and fig trees growing wild on the island. So there's even more food."

"Max and I followed a lead to San Francisco trying to find Terri," says The Master, "When the trail went cold, Max and I decided on taking the Alcatraz tour. Last time I was in San Francisco before then, it was still an active prison. Anyway, according to our tour guide, seagulls and pelicans like to nest on the islands shores."

"So?" says Enos.

"Well just because you can't buy seagulls and pelicans at your local butcher, doesn't mean you can't eat them."

"I've heard of people eating stranger things," says Sabrina.

"I've seen it," says Hannibal, "We don't call Murdock 'Howling Mad' because it's catchy. Before civilization fell, he had been living the past ten years or so in the psychiatric ward of the V.A."

"There's still one problem," says Enos, "How are we gonna get there? Just like Washington and Quebec, there are probably thousands of walkers between us and the harbour."

"True," agrees Hannibal, "But to reach _this_ location, I've come up with a plan."

"Really?" asks McAllister, now very intrigued, "What plan?"

"We're not going directly to San Francisco," he says, "We're going to Lobster Cove."

"Where?"

"It's a little fishing town about half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles. We did some probono work for a family of lobster fishermen a few years back. If they're still alive, I'm sure they'd be willing to lend us their boat. And if they're not, then they won't mind if we borrow it. It's a win/win."

"What about walkers?" asks Colt.

"It's a very small town," says Hannibal, "Most of the walkers have probably moved on. Those that haven't are probably in manageable numbers."

"That's a lot of 'probablys'," says Sabrina.

"I never said it was a fool proof plan. Only that it was a plan."

"Okay," says McAllister, "everywhere else had a long list of cons, what's the cons list for Alcatraz?"

"Aside from there being no guarantee that we'll be able to get a boat to get out there?" asks Hannibal, "Well, first of all, the Pacific Coast is farther from here than either Washington DC or Canada. If we take the highway, push ourselves hard, and don't run into any trouble, we can be there in maybe two days. If we take the back roads as we have been doing, we're more likely to find food and gas, but it'll take us twice as long to get there. Also, nobody has actually lived at Alcatraz for years, so it's most likely somewhat run down. There won't be any food stored there, nor medical supplies. Drinking water will be an issue, as the bay is filled with sea water. And even if we can build our own vegetable gardens to grow our own food, we're not going to see any results for several weeks. And finally, even if we do make it there, there might be other survivors barricaded inside the prison who might not wish to share their shelter with us. Other than that, compared to the other locations, Alcatraz is a cakewalk."

"Well Hannibal, I trust you," says McAllister, "I say we go to Alcatraz."

"I have to admit," says Sabrina, "Alcatraz seems like it's the best choice."

"Agreed," says Colt.

"Then it's unanimous," says Enos, "We're goin' ta Alcatraz!"

Almost as soon as they start folding up their road maps, the others have returned from building the funeral pyres. Three thick columns of greasy black smoke rise up into the sky as the rotted bodies of the slain walkers burn away amidst the piles of firewood loaded on top of them. Everyone comes back from their duty covered in sweat and grime from the chore.

"So," says Jody, "Where are we going?"

"Just as soon as everyone has had a chance to clean up, we're heading to Alcatraz," replies Colt.

"Alright!" exclaims the beautiful blonde.

Jody, Daisy, Amy, and the three Angels head into the RV and in a matter of minutes they exit dressed in swimwear. They run down into the lake and jump in the water. The guys quickly strip down to their shorts and join the fun. While Hannibal is a little leery of staying this close to the funeral pyres for any extended time, he allows his team this moment of recreation. He knows that it could be days before any of them have a chance to take another bath.

After a while, B.A. returns from swimming. Colt, Enos, McAllister, and Hannibal have already packed up the camp, and are just waiting for everyone to finish up in the lake.

"So what's the plan, Hannibal?" asks the big man as he towels off.

"We're gonna need to start planting food almost right away," says the colonel, "Especially if we're gonna make Alcatraz a place where we can live indefinitely."

"We should build greenhouses then," says the sergeant, "We can grow vegetables all year long that way, and won't have to worry about freak storms or flocks of birds ruining our crops."

"Good thinking B.A.," replies Hannibal, "What will you need?"

"Some lumber. Nails. Screws. Large sheets of Plexiglas. Planting soil. Plus seeds for vegetables. Maybe some baby berry bushes. Raspberry and blueberry. Stuff that don't need lots of attention."

"Right," says Hannibal, taking a mental note of what they'll need.

"What'll we do about water?" asks B.A.

"We'll bring rain barrels with us," replies the colonel, "Plus as many plastic buckets as we can find to use as rain catchers. I figure we might also try building a still."

"You gonna make moonshine?"

"No," laughs Hannibal, "It'll be for turning sea water into fresh drinking water."

"Good idea," agrees the big man, "How we gonna get there?" B.A. suddenly stiffens up, "I ain't gonna fly, Hannibal!" he exclaims pointing a threatening finger at his commander.

"Relax B.A.," says Hannibal calmly, "We'll be going by boat. Remember that job we did in Lobster Cove, when you hurt your foot by stepping on that rusty nail?"

"Oh yeah," says B.A., then he chuckles and grins, "That was when I threw Murdock into the ocean!"

"Well, I figure we should be able to find some boats there that we can use to take us to Alcatraz."

"I don't like leavin' my van behind, Hannibal."

"I know B.A." says Hannibal somberly, and the big man can't quite tell if he's being sincere or not, "We'll find a good hiding spot for it. Hopefully, when this all blows over, it'll be at Lobster Cove waiting for you."

"You really think this'll blow over?"

"The walkers will rot away sooner or later. We just gotta make sure we're still around when they do."

The other members of the group return from their swim and dry off. As soon as everyone has put on some clean clothes, everyone piles into their respective vehicles. The Angels take the lead in their RV, followed by The A-Team in their van. Max and The Master follow in their van, followed by Bo and Luke in The General Lee. Enos and Daisy follow in his squad car, and Colt and Jody bring up the rear in Colt's truck. Just for good measure, Bo hits the horn on The General Lee, which plays the first few notes of Dixie. As the convoy of cars and trucks heads off into the distance, all any of them can see of their old camp are the pillars of smoke where the walkers are burning.


End file.
